It is now almost a year since COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill. Everyone is affected, to an extent ranging from the not-so-much to the deeply tragic. In March 2020, a few weeks after the pandemic, I wrote an opinion piece for CNN, in which I suggested some ideas on what changes could take place due to the challenges ahead. Now that we are very much in this mess, and with the growing hope of stepping out of it within the next few months, it is time to reconsider some of these ideas.
First, some facts.
This is the greatest existential threat of our generation. We have not faced the tragedy of two world wars and have so far escaped the constant threat of nuclear warfare. It is important to compare the tragedy we are now going through with the devastation of the Spanish flu of 1918, with numbers that seem almost incomprehensible. It is estimated that about 500 million people, about one-third of the world’s population, are infected with the virus. Of those, 50 million – ten percent – died worldwide, of which 675,000 in the US. In today’s numbers, that would mean that about 2.4 billion people would be infected and 240 million would die. At the time of writing, there were approximately 109 million confirmed infections (certainly an underestimation) and 2.4 million deaths. Although the numbers worldwide are much better, it does not make us feel better. We are approaching half a million deaths in the US, another incomprehensible number, approaching the number of US losses during the Spanish flu. Denial, the lack of federal leadership, the top-down silence of scientific evidence and support, complacency, scientific denial – it’s all to blame.
Science is essential.
A global pandemic of this magnitude is primarily a matter of public health, and the first line of defense is through science and public policy working together. The fact that we are doing relatively better than in 1918 speaks to the power of medicine to save lives: ventilators, antiviral drugs, better sanitation, better understanding of how this virus works. The numbers could have been much better if health policy measures had not become politically armed and added to the current ideological divide with tragic consequences. The fact that we now have extremely effective vaccines, some of which use completely new technologies, again speaks to the power of science to save lives. This is a moment to celebrate science in the service of the greater benefit of mankind.
We need to rethink who we are.
The earth has existed for 4.5 billion years; our species, Homo sapiens, exists for about 200,000 years.
Credit: desdemona72 via Adobe Stock
The pandemic exposed our perennial fragility as a species. Nature works according to rules that do not include compassion for loss of life. We are not above nature. Technology may give us the impression that we can control the ways of the world, but we are still a big part of the process of natural selection because we get sick because of mutant forms of this virus and other new challenges to public health create. Natural selection is an endless struggle for survival. We can not deceive it to a permanent stop, but only to a temporary halt. Indeed, as the environment changes, new forms of life emerge, and not all of them will benefit us. The melting of the permafrost brings forth diseases that strike our distant ancestors and against which we are defenseless. To think again about who we are asks for humility. Humility in the face of our limited resources, humility in the face of forces that are far more powerful than we are. We can dig deep holes and tunnels through mountains, cut down forests and retreat oceans. But each of these actions has a huge environmental impact that is costing us dearly. Reflecting on who we are requires asking for a new understanding of our relationship with the planet. The earth has existed for 4.5 billion years; our species, Homo sapiens, has been around for about 200,000 years. We have just arrived here. The earth will continue without us. We cannot continue without it, despite the exploration of space. The future of our civilization project depends on our rethinking of our planetary role.
We are a human basket.
The pandemic provided us with sufficient evidence of our dependence. We need each other on all levels; the first responders, the farmers and managers, the supermarket workers who bring food to our tables. It is said that the stability of society is nine meals away. If we do not eat for three days, society unravels. And we need energy, supplies, banking systems, clean roads, clean cities, political stability, news and fast internet. In a beehive, all workers contribute to the survival of the hive as a whole, every job is important. We are a human basket and must respect all labor and ensure that all workers are properly compensated. Living with dignity is not a luxury, it is a right.
We need to rethink social structure and inequality.
The unequal toll of the pandemic has exposed systemic racism and social injustice to levels that can no longer be tolerated or overlooked by anyone and certainly by those in power. Since the origins of agrarian civilization at least, our ancestors have divided into tribes to guarantee social cohesion against the struggling economies. Such tribal walls are mostly defined by religious beliefs and social exclusion, and are the guide for cultures around the world. We now have a different view of humanity’s place on this planet, and our togetherness is being exposed to us in ways that many do not like. A virus does not care what you believe in, the color of your skin or how much money you have in the bank. It will attack opportunistically and cut your cellular material to reproduce. But the extent to which people can protect themselves from such attacks does reveal social inequalities in transparent ways. If you share an apartment with eight people and have to work with public transport every day to get there, you will enter the war zone without a weapon or shelter.
We need to reconsider how we work.
With fast internet, it is very clear that many disruptions to and from work, or frequent trips to remote meeting places, are unnecessary, costly and detrimental to the environment. Huge expenses with business property can be avoided and increased to higher compensation for workers and better computer and connection equipment. The idea of a city center to which people do business is rapidly becoming obsolete. Travel will mostly be for pleasure and adventure. For this to become the new normal, fast connection and better equipment must be accessible to all, such as electricity and clean water (there is still some work to be done here.) Otherwise we will create another gorge (it is already here), between those who have quick access to information and resources and those who do not.
The Black Death of the 14th century helped usher in the Renaissance, a spectacular flourishing of human creativity. The Spanish flu is followed by the roaring twenties, an era of explosive cultural dynamics that brought us jazz, Art Deco, and a renewal of our ability to celebrate life and be productive: cars, telephones, aviation, the film industry, electrical appliances, rapid industrial growth. What will be our post-pandemic revolution? The old ways are about to walk; they are already going. A new world order is emerging, the signs are everywhere. Not everyone is willing to see them or embark on this new venture. But I hope those who do will inspire many to follow them. All this loss must turn and usher in a new page in human history.